Improve Your Mood with the NaturAir Ionizer: A User’s Guide

This unit is manufactured as an air purifier by NaturAir, Inc. Its therapeutic use is based on research at Columbia University Medical Center. The supporting clinical trials, sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health, found that daily exposure to negative air ions at the high flow rate produced by such a powerful device could reduce symptoms of depression.

OPERATION OF THE UNIT

A harmless static buildup may be noticed when a grounded surface is touched immediately after being close to the unit. The static electricity is normal and safe, but don’t allow children or pets to touch or get close to the device.

Remove any electronic equipment near where you sit during treatment sessions. Negative air ions will flow toward any electrically grounded device, such as a computer, telephone clock radio, or TV. If these objects are placed at the far side of the room, you become the best-grounded object of ion flow, which maximizes the ion dose of your treatment.

HOW TO SET UP THE IONIZER

Place the unit on a table or small stand – even a sturdy cardboard box – preferably at least 2 ft(60 cm) from a wall and 2-3 ft off the floor. Walls tend to be positively charged, and the negatively charged particulates will be attracted to the walls at a higher than normal rate. Or choose a wall with a smooth, easily washable surface.

Orient the unit facing you, with the NaturAir imprint showing. To maximize the benefit, your distance should be about 3 ft (90 cm) from the two emitter towers.

Daily post-awakening treatment sessions. This is the method originally established for treatment of winter depression (Seasonal Affective Disorder). Patients awoke at a consistent hour each morning, leaving time for the treatment session and preparation to leave the house for work. Within minutes of rising, and grabbing some breakfast from the kitchen, they sat by the ionizer at 2 to 3 feet (or about 60-90 cm) for 30 minutes, carefully timed. After the session, they prepared to leave the house (showering, dressing, etc.). They followed the same schedule on weekends, resisting any temptation to sleep in. While this schedule proved effective, changes from it may also work, with sessions later in the day, for example. Each new user should test any desired variations in scheduling (for about a week at a time), and compare the outcome with the original research schedule.

Use in the bedroom during sleep. Later clinical trials tested the antidepressant effect of negative ion exposure in the bedroom during sleep. This method provides the convenience of automatic action without reserving a daytime interval for treatment. For this application, place the ionizer on a night table, with the ion emission wand facing the pillow area at the top of the bed, again at 2-3 ft from the head. Plug the unit into a 24-hour electronic appliance timer set to switch on power 90 minutes before wake-up time, with automatic switching off around the time you get out of bed. Make sure the timer you select operates silently, so there is no distracting sound of clicking when power switches on: you should take care not to be awakened by the sound of a click! One such low-cost timer is available from Amazon.

A second option, all-night exposure to negative air ions, may produce the strongest results for some people, though it has not yet been tested systematically in clinical trials. For example, a bedroom – a 20 x 20 ft (6 x 6 m) room with doors and windows shut — will reach negative ion “stasis”, or saturation, in about an hour’s time. Again, the unit should be placed away from other electrical appliances that will tend to attract the ion flow, reducing the therapeutic effect. The unit can be operated 24/7; or turned on at bedtime, and turned off upon rising; or scheduled for automatic electronic switching. In any case, do not place the ionizer against the wall, as this will increase the buildup of particles. It can be placed farther from the bed than for 90-minute sessions, since the whole room will reach a high level of ion density. Ion density is maximized if the room is humidified, especially when air-conditioned in summer, or heated in winter.

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